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RFU executives start consulting English grassroots rugby

rfu.com and James Mortimer 19 Jan 2013 Getty Images

Rugby Football Union executives Ian Ritchie and Bill Beamont have started the union’s consultation process around England to hear the views of the people who are the fabric of the game – the grassroots clubs.

The Chief Executive Officer and President have been out and about in Nottingham and Oxford at the first of 13 public meetings aimed at gathering opinions on how to update the RFU Constitution, as Ritchie explained.

“These meetings are about the governance of the union,” he said. “We want to make sure we get the views of the clubs from around the country which Bill Beaumont as Chairman and myself will come to.

“It’s a great opportunity to get out and about and meet the clubs, I thought we had some very interesting comments and it think it is a good education for us as well. I was pleased with the turnout and it will prove very helpful.”Rugby Football Union Chairman Bill Beaumont

Photo: Getty Images

The ultimate goal is to discover whether the wider game believes the way the RFU administers the sport in England needs to change to reflect a modern, efficient, forward-thinking governing body.

The information will be collated and analysed by the project team and delivered to the RFU Council to aid their decision-making process. Former England Captain Beaumont added this could form the basis of a SGM in November 2013.

He said: “We’re doing regional road shows looking at whether we need to change anything: reduce the size of the council or make it bigger; look at the structure of the board; the accountability of the board; the relationship between board and council.

“The council will debate it and if we approve any of the changes we’ll look to have a SGM in the autumn of this year.

“The main issue is that people should feel wanted and feel they are part of the RFU – every member club is part of the RFU and we want to hear their views.”

Further information is available on the process on RFU.com and if you would like to attend one of the remaining consultation sessions and have your say on the future of rugby in this country, please see details of dates and venues below:

All meetings will start at 7pm for 7.30pm. Please attend which ever meeting is most convenient for you. No tickets or notification are required, simply turn up and take part.

At each consultation meeting there will be a presentation of the main points, with plenty of opportunity for you to ask questions and express your views on any subject.

If you are unable to attend any of the meetings, the RFU would still love to have your feedback. You can e-mail consult@rfu.com with any comments, or ask to speak to the Project Manager, Simon Johnson, for a full discussion.

Feedback will be reported to the April RFU Council meeting, with a full debate to follow at a special meeting of the Council in May 2013. The results of the consultation will be communicated on the RFU website.